Today’s desire has nothing to do with worldly love, but it is indeed different from the past.
It’s just that his desire is getting more and more serious.
Because he had a nocturnal emission last night, and now it’s up again.
According to Duan Ling’s understanding, ordinary men do not get up so frequently.
He walked to the wardrobe, took out new clothes, stretched his hands to his waist, untied the thin red belt, and the inner clothes and underpants fell to the ground, revealing skin covered with a thin layer of sweat, like a layer of morning mist on white jade.
The two scapula bones above the waist are clearly visible, as if a butterfly is about to spread its wings and fly, and the arc lines extending from it along the back are soft in texture and distinct in outline.
The hall’s doors and windows are tightly closed, and not a single ray of morning light can penetrate.
In the inner room, the dark and gloomy atmosphere makes the scars on Duan Ling’s wrists seem to grow wildly in the darkness.
The originally fair wrists are now crisscrossed with several colors: red, dark red, and brown.
Fresh cuts are red, cuts that have been around for a while are dark red, and healed cuts are brown.
They overlap and gradually blend into one, indistinguishable from each other.
These scars are rugged and uneven, yet they exude a strange and morbid beauty.
Before putting on new clothes, Duan Ling skillfully cut his wrist with a knife.
After the strange feeling in his crotch subsided as before, he sprinkled some hemostatic powder.
The smell of nanmu flowers is almost covered by the smell of blood and powder, making it hard to detect.
Duan Ling pushed open the door, and the morning sunlight slanted in, illuminating his entire face, making it pure and translucent, and also causing his eyes to close slightly, with his eyelashes trembling.
He is in his early twenties, yet he can still hold up this red flying fish robe.
The Jinyiwei guarding outside the hall immediately saluted as he came out:
“Sir, the breakfast is ready in the side hall. Would you like to have breakfast first?”
Duan Ling lowered his head to tidy up his wrist guard and said with a smile:
“Isn’t the factory supervisor eager to see me? I was busy with official business these days and didn’t go. Today, I happen to be free and should go to apologize to the factory supervisor first.”
“As for breakfast… I believe the factory supervisor will definitely prepare it for me.”
Dong’an Gate of the Imperial City, Dongchang’s Inner Office.
The entrance of the inner office is a corridor, with artificial hills and flowing water on both sides.
The houses have dazzling glazed tiles on the roof and floors paved with huanghuali wood.
The furnishings are exquisite, not eye-catching, but extremely luxurious.
Under the eaves, a person is sitting on a sandalwood rocking chair, wearing a black hat, with a delicate and androgynous face, as white as if powdered with several layers of powder, like a ghost, wearing dark brown regular clothes and black leather boots.
He holds a handful of fish food and throws some into the pond in front of him from time to time to feed the fish.
As soon as the fish food falls into the pond, it is scrambled and grabbed by the fish.
They fight fiercely.
In a short while, only the swimming fish are left on the water surface.
He didn’t throw any more fish food into the pond.
The fish that didn’t get food swim more slowly.
They have been hungry for several days.
The fish that didn’t get food for the first time will hardly have the chance to get it next time and will surely die.
The law of the jungle is just like this.
A young eunuch came over with his head bowed and asked,
“Factory supervisor, breakfast is ready. Would you like to have a meal now or later?”
He is a newly arrived young eunuch and dare not look at the factory supervisor in front of him.
It is said that this person is nicknamed “Treading on Snow Mud.”
The snow he treads on is not ordinary snow, but blood, treading on blood mud, and stepping on human lives to get promoted.
The most important thing is that Treading on Snow Mud has a bad temper and is capricious, often scolding and beating his subordinates.
It’s a light punishment to be injured or disabled.
If you are killed, it’s just a matter of rolling you up in a straw mat and throwing you into the mass grave.
The last eunuch who served Treading on Snow Mud in the inner office was beaten to death by him.
Well, the person is dead, and there is a vacant position, so the newly arrived young eunuch is assigned to fill in.
When the superior speaks, how can the subordinate refuse?
Even if the young eunuch is very reluctant, he cannot show it and must serve diligently.
In fact, serving Treading on Snow Mud is not without benefits.
If you serve well, it is not impossible to rise rapidly.
He is the factory supervisor.
If he wants to promote someone, it’s just a matter of a word.
So the young eunuch is both worried and happy about being assigned to serve Treading on Snow Mud.
Treading on Snow Mud: “Set the table.”
His voice is not as shrill as that of ordinary eunuchs.
It is a bit deep.
He did not undergo castration in childhood, which is different from them, but it still sounds different from that of a normal man.
“Yes.”
The young eunuch was quick and immediately called people to set the table.
As Treading on Snow Mud just sat down with a flick of his sleeve, Duan Ling arrived.
No one came to report, and it is not known how he got in.
Treading on Snow Mud said in a strange voice,
“Oh, what wind blew Director Duan here. The people below are also like this. They are so negligent that they don’t report and let me go to welcome you.”
Duan Ling did not respond to him and looked at the dishes on the table:
“Has the factory supervisor not had breakfast yet?”
“Yeah.” Treading on Snow Mud narrowed his eyes, sizing up this promising young Jinyiwei commander,
“Your Jinyiwei has been busy lately, and so has our Eastern Depot. We’re only having our meal at this hour.”
Facing Treading on Snow Mud’s sarcasm, Duan Ling still wore a faint smile, exuding an innate air of nobility:
“The factory supervisor has worked hard. Coincidentally, I haven’t had my meal yet either.”
Treading on Snow Mud sneered,
“Since Commander Duan hasn’t had your meal yet, then sit down and have it together.”
Duan Ling didn’t refuse, thanked him, and sat opposite him.
Treading on Snow Mud picked up his jade chopsticks and began to eat:
“Last night, the Yellow Crane Tower on South Gate Street caught fire. I heard Commander Duan was there. Were you injured?”
“Thanks to the factory supervisor’s fortune, I wasn’t injured and even captured the assassin,”Duan Ling slowly swallowed his food before speaking.
Treading on Snow Mud looked at Duan Ling’s proper demeanor and clenched his jade chopsticks.
People like them were truly blessed.
Born into prestigious families, they were natural nobles, with outstanding appearances and tutored by great scholars since childhood.
Their speech and behavior were impeccable, showing the demeanor of a distinguished family.
To be honest, Treading on Snow Mud was quite envious of these scions of noble families.
Unlike him, who had to climb step by step, enduring countless hardships and exhausting himself to reach the position of factory supervisor.
“It’s Commander Duan’s own good fortune, not related to me,” Treading on Snow Mud said.
“Is that so?” Duan Ling took out a confession, placed it on the table, and pushed it to his side,
“I thought it was the factory supervisor who ordered the assassin to go easy on me and spare my life. I came today to express my gratitude.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Treading on Snow Mud’s face darkened instantly.
He spread out the confession to read, and his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
That damned Wang Zhong had taken it upon himself to arrange a fire, intending to kill Duan Ling.
If Duan Ling were so easy to kill, Treading on Snow Mud would have done it long ago and wouldn’t have waited until now.
Wang Zhong was Treading on Snow Mud’s confidant.
His act of sending an assassin to kill a Jinyiwei commander would make anyone think it was an order from the Eastern Depot’s supervisor, a move by the Eastern Depot to eliminate a Jinyiwei officer and persecute a colleague.
If the Emperor found out, he might think the Eastern Depot was trying to swallow up the Jinyiwei.
The Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei were meant to check and balance each other.
The Emperor didn’t want either side to become too powerful and preferred to keep their powers dispersed.
He was happy to see them compete, as long as they didn’t cross the line.
Wasn’t this just handing the Eastern Depot’s weakness to the Jinyiwei?
Wang Zhong, that brainless fool, was more of a liability than an asset.
Treading on Snow Mud’s chest heaved violently, clearly very angry with Wang Zhong.
Soon, he composed himself and sneered coldly,
“A confession from an unidentified person—Commander Duan is going to pin the crime of plotting to harm an imperial official on my subordinate based on this?”
Duan Ling also smiled, amicably saying,
“The Jinyiwei naturally can’t convict someone based on just a confession. I’m just worried that when His Majesty sees this confession, he might blame you, the factory supervisor.”
Treading on Snow Mud took a deep breath,
“Commander Duan, if you want something, just say it.”
Duan Ling tasted a piece of Dongpo Pork, feeling it wasn’t as delicious as the one he had in the Northern Court Marshal’s hall.
He then ate some rice, very slowly, and finally drank a cup of tea, calmly wiping his hands with a napkin.
The inner office’s rooms faced south, with the sunlight just right, a few rays falling on Duan Ling’s eyebrows and eyes, casting a faint golden halo that not only made him look good but also added a touch of compassion and kindness, like a bodhisattva.
Yet he spoke softly,
“I want Wang Zhong dead, dead in the Northern Court Marshal’s prison.”
This was asking Treading on Snow Mud to fabricate another charge against Wang Zhong, to send him to his death lawfully, to die in the Northern Court Marshal’s prison, and at Duan Ling’s hands.
It was undoubtedly a blatant slap in the face of the Eastern Depot.
In this way, the Eastern Depot would be at a disadvantage in front of the Jinyiwei.
Treading on Snow Mud suppressed his anger and tried to change Duan Ling’s mind:
“Why soil Commander Duan’s hands? We can do it for you.”
Duan Ling smiled faintly, not backing down:
“I dare not trouble the factory supervisor.”
Treading on Snow Mud almost snapped his jade chopsticks.
“Wang Zhong has formed factions and betrayed His Majesty’s trust. Technically, we should investigate thoroughly, but since he’s from the Eastern Depot, we need to avoid suspicion and will send him to the Northern Court Marshal’s prison later.”
In the end, Treading on Snow Mud compromised and pinned the charge of forming factions on Wang Zhong.
He had only himself to blame for acting on his own.
Not only did he bring trouble upon himself, but he also dragged the Eastern Depot into it.
His death was well-deserved.
Duan Ling, having achieved his goal, didn’t stay long and left, leaving Treading on Snow Mud to go berserk and smash things.
He wasn’t bad-looking and even had a bit of beauty.
When he got angry, he still looked ferocious, no different from a madman.
The young eunuch trembled with fear, not daring to persuade him, and could only pray that he wouldn’t take his anger out on him.
After smashing things for a full quarter of an hour, Treading on Snow Mud finally calmed down.
The young eunuch mustered up the courage to pour him some tea:
“Factory supervisor, have some tea.”
Treading on Snow Mud drank it all in one go.
The hidden guard, who had been lurking in the shadows, appeared and said,
“Factory supervisor, now that Wang Zhong is in Commander Duan’s hands, what if he says something unfavorable to you……”
Since the Eastern Depot was established, Wang Zhong had been there and knew everything about it.
Duan Ling went through all this trouble, probably not just to take revenge and kill Wang Zhong.
Most likely, he wanted to extract some useful information from him to either stand on equal footing with or gain the upper hand over the Eastern Depot.
Treading on Snow Mud snorted coldly,
“Even if he takes Wang Zhong away, so what? Besides being able to kill him, not a single word can be pried out of his mouth.”
The guard worried,
“Not many people can withstand the torture in the imperial prison.”
Treading on Snow Mud dismissed the concern.
“Wang Zhong would rather die than betray me. Although Wang Zhong is also a eunuch like him, he’s a lucky one. His private parts weren’t completely removed, and he had a child with someone outside.”
For Wang Zhong, his child is more important than his own life, and his child is with Treading on Snow Mud.
If Wang Zhong dares to betray, his child will surely die.
Treading on Snow Mud instructed the guard,
“You go and keep an eye on Duan Ling for me. Report back if anything happens.”
The guard accepted the order and withdrew.
An archivist came in from the side door: “Factory supervisor.”
The archivist of the Eastern Depot was specifically responsible for espionage.
He was the person Treading on Snow Mud sent out to investigate and was here today to report his recent findings.
Treading on Snow Mud, with a gloomy face, took another sip of tea:
“How about it? Have you found Fu Chi?”